Ducks A-Z: Brandon McMillan

Fresh out of junior hockey, Brandon McMillan wasn't exactly first on the depth chart of young forwards that could make an impact on the Ducks in 2010-11 when he arrived at training camp.

Matt Beleskey was the one coming of an impressive rookie season and Dan Sexton had been the one that came out of nowhere to do his best Teemu Selanne impersonation. The Ducks also had acquired Aaron Voros along with forwards Ryan Carter and Troy Bodie already in the mix.

McMillan wasn't supposed to be in the club's plans last season but the heady forward got his chance and never let it go while others were injured or simply failed. The rookie went from a player merely trying to find his way in the NHL to one that was being leaned on for many roles.

Now the trick is for the Ducks' former 2008 third-round pick is to not take a step back like others have done after making a positive first impression. In other words, it's about avoiding the sophomore jinx.

What he did: Coming off his final junior season at Kelowna, McMillan failed to impress Ducks coach Randy Carlyle in training camp but that didn't deter him. The British Columbia native didn't put up big numbers on a struggling Syracuse team as he had four goals and two assists in 16 games with the Crunch. His minus-6 rating didn't look good either but the Ducks were in need of some help in their forward corps with forwards Kyle Chipchura and Teemu Selanne out of the lineup due to a concussion so he got the call from the AHL along with winger Dan Sexton. After bouncing between Syracuse and Anaheim for a few days due to some roster shuffling, McMillan stayed with the Ducks for good. In his third game, the forward got a pass from Ryan Getzlaf and put in his first NHL goal on Nov. 27 against Phoenix in the Ducks' 6-4 victory. The points were slow to come by at first but he had a big game Dec. 20 in Boston when he had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over the eventual Stanley Cup champion Bruins. McMillan recorded points in five of seven games from Dec. 28-Jan. 12, including goals in home wins against Columbus and St. Louis. From Feb. 5-16, he put together a season-best five-game point scoring streak that included goals in successive road wins against Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. McMillan slumped at the end of the regular season as he had just five points in his last 20 games -- including a minus-8 rating in eight games during than span -- but his final two goals came in road wins over the Kings on March 19 and April 9. He scored his first NHL playoff goal and added an assist in the Ducks' 6-3 Game 4 win over Nashville but failed to score a point in any of the other five games.

What could happen in '11-12: Carlyle values versatility and McMillan fit the bill as he played both left wing and center while also spending time on the top three lines, whether in different parts of the season or within the same game. There's no question that McMillan will start the year in the lineup as his defensive acumen and penalty-killing ability earns him ice time but where he'll play will be hashed out in the first few weeks. A logical place would be on the third line, playing on the left side alongside new center Andrew Cogliano. McMillan can play center but he also struggled with faceoffs in the middle last season and appeared much more comfortable on the wing. He isn't a natural scorer but he's got enough offense to move up in case others are struggling. A good sign for the future is that McMillan actually produced more on the road (eight of his 11 goals and 14 of his 21 points came away from Honda Center). But the Ducks would benefit best if he can team with Cogliano to form a third line that can score and support the top two lines, which hasn't been the case in several seasons. If McMillan can put in 15 goals and 30-35 points over an 82-game schedule, it will represent another step taken for the young forward.

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